08/14, 12:10pm

Latest Lego robotics generation gives, and takes away

With kids in the house, we're about hip-deep in Lego here, including some past iterations of the Lego Robotics kits. Late last year, Lego released the newest iteration of its Mindstorms set -- the Mindstorms EV3. Coming in at $349, the app-enabled kit purports to teach children (and tech writers) about practical robotics. Does the kit do what it says, or is it destined to be stepped on in the middle of the night by irate parents?

10/12, 12:55pm

Lego MINDroid app gives Android Mindstorms control

Lego ventured into more advanced mobile apps late Monday by posting a dedicated Android app for Mindstorms NXT robots. MINDroid (QR code below) wirelessly links with the creation and uses the accelerometer in most Android phones to move by tilting. A lone action button also triggers the standard action motor.

01/28, 3:00pm

LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2

LEGO today updated its Mindstorms robot kit with the NXT 2.0 version. The update to the construction set is targeted at LEGO's core audience instead of solely at hobbyists and will come in a set that lets children build four ready-made robots. More advanced users, however, also get a new feature that lets the robot detect color through its camera and perform a user-programmable action based on the presence of that color in the scene.